New bullseye for summer of rain; damage reported in Fayette, Kanawha, Raleigh surrounding counties

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Relentless thunderstorms pounded West Virginia Sunday.

Sunday’s rain wiped out Sunday’s flooding wiped out the access bridge at the Fayette County Animal Shelter. (Facebook)

The storms hit one right after the other beginning Sunday morning and continuing into Sunday night.

Most of the damage Sunday morning came in eastern Kanawha County, Fayette and Raleigh counties.

Both Cabin Creek and Paint Creek flooded. High water impacted a number of homes in Pax and Mount Hope in Fayette County. Traffic on the West Virginia Turnpike was impacted by washouts and mudslides.

Paint Creek out of its banks in the community of Standard in eastern Kanawha County Sunday.

U.S. Route 60 at Kanawha Falls was damaged with high water that included rocks and mud. The Fayette County Animal Shelter near Beckwith reported its access bridge was destroyed by the high water.

CSX is dealing with washouts along its tracks in eastern Kanawha County between Pratt and Montgomery. The eastbound Amtrak train was forced to stop near Pratt Sunday afternoon. It backed up to the mouth of Cabin Creek where the engine was able to switch ends and head back toward Charleston.

CSX released the following statement to MetroNews Sunday night:

“Severe weather and flooding today, August 16, are currently affecting portions of CSX’s Kanawha, New River, and Allegheny Subdivisions. Our crews are currently on scene as conditions allow assessing storm impacts and working as safely and quickly as possible to restore the line.

“As a result, customers with shipments moving through the area should expect delays while restoration work continues. The safety of our employees and community, along with the timely delivery of services, remains our top priority.”

Sunday night storms trained over Kanawha County causing a number of water rescues.

MetroNews Meteorologist Bryan Hughes explained Sunday’s weather system:

A powerful, slow-moving complex of severe thunderstorms is producing widespread torrential rainfall, damaging wind gusts, frequent lightning, and isolated tornadic threats across western, central, and southwestern West Virginia, extending west into eastern Kentucky. Cell training along the corridor is significantly heightening the risk of rapid flash flooding across low-lying roads, urban centers, and steep terrain.

Extreme rainfall rates exceeding 1.5 to 2.5 inches per hour. High runoff efficiency over saturated soils leading to rapid stream rises, mudslides/rockslides along cut slopes, and urban street flooding.

Storm Total Precipitation (STP) estimate reveals an extreme, narrow training axis, oriented northwest-to-southeast across the coalfield hollows of south-central West Virginia. The swath features catastrophic accumulations exceeding 6 to 11+ inches, centered primarily over eastern Kanawha, northern Raleigh, and Fayette counties.

[ Extreme Bullseye: 11.8″ near Eskdale ]

└─ Deep Red Axis (6.0″ – 10.0″+): Eskdale → Kincaid → Oak Hill → Cunard → Danese

└─ Moderate-High Axis (3.0″ – 6.0″): Charleston → Marmet → Montgomery → Mount Hope

└─ Outer Fringe (1.5″ – 3.0″): Clendenin, Teays Valley, Madison, Beckley

Critical Terrain & Hydrological Impacts

Steep Hollow Vulnerability:
- The heaviest axis overlays rugged Appalachian terrain, specifically the Cabin Creek, Paint Creek, Armstrong Creek, and Loup Creek watersheds.
- Steep slope gradients accelerate runoff directly into narrow valley floors, creating extreme flash flooding, culvert washouts, and mud/debris flows.
Major Drainage Basins:
- Kanawha River Tributaries: Extreme headwater surges emptying into the upper Kanawha River between Marmet and Montgomery.
- New River Gorge: Severe localized tributary flash flooding feeding into the New River Gorge between Fayetteville and Thurmond/Cunard.

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